Bridget Phillipson, the former education secretary, has spoken about the pain of losing a job she loved but insisted she is committed to helping Andy Burnham's government succeed. She was removed from the education brief during a cabinet reshuffle last week and replaced by Lucy Powell, an ally of the new prime minister. However, she accepted the role of women and equalities minister, now a standalone cabinet position, and was later appointed Labour party chair.
New roles and unity message
Visiting a Rape Crisis centre in Cambridge, Phillipson highlighted the importance of the equalities brief. On Monday, Burnham named her Labour chair, a role described as part election planner, administrator and party cheerleader. Burnham stressed she would play a "vital role" in getting the party "match fit for the next election." Labour's communications emphasised the appointment showed commitment to building "one united team." Phillipson echoed that by "uniting together" Labour would "bring hope back to communities and strengthen British society against those working to divide us."
Relations with successor Lucy Powell
Phillipson acknowledged the defeat by Powell in the October deputy leadership contest but said: "That contest was almost a year ago. It's in the past, and Lucy's a great colleague. We've worked together for many years, and she has my full support in the role." She hopes to act as a bridge between bruised Starmer loyalists and Burnham's team, saying: "I know how people will feel, those who've lost out – I know it hurts. It hurts to lose a job that you have loved and put heart and soul into. But I know that however people feel at the moment, they want to win the next election as much as I do, and they know how high the stakes are."
Fighting Reform UK and violence against women
Phillipson repeatedly returned to the threat from Reform UK, which slipped into second place behind Labour in a voter intention poll for the first time in over a year. "We've got the fight of our lives on our hands to win at the next general election," she said. She accused Nigel Farage's party of "shamefully" weaponising women's pain with their focus on Pakistani grooming gangs and sexual violence by foreigners, vowing to keep the issue on the agenda. She insisted Labour's manifesto commitment to halve violence against women and girls in a decade still stands, despite Burnham making no reference to it so far. Making her role a standalone cabinet position "demonstrates his commitment to equality and advancing women's rights in our country," she said, adding that ministers will track VAWG crimes reported in the crime survey for England and Wales.
Loyalty to Burnham
Phillipson said Burnham had brought "a real sense of hope, optimism and energy" but was building on the "good work" of the last two years under Keir Starmer. She expressed sadness at how things ended for Starmer but made clear her loyalties now lie with Burnham: "I supported Keir from opposition to government because I believe it is right that you support the leader of your party and you support your prime minister. It is therefore now right that Andy commands that loyalty from all of us."
